Rite Aid bus tour takes aim at diabetes epidemic

CAMP HILL, Pa. – Next week Rite Aid Corp. plans to hit the road for a two-month tour to raise awareness of diabetes and provide education about the disease and how to better manage it.

Called the Rite Track Diabetes Tour, the effort will bring free diabetes testing, resources and materials to communities it serves across the Northeast during November and December, Rite Aid said Friday. The tour is being offered in collaboration with LifeScan Inc., the maker of OneTouch blood glucose monitoring systems.

The tour launches at a midtown Manhattan Rite Aid store on Nov. 1, in recognition of American Diabetes Month. Celebrity chef Sam Talbot, who has type 1 diabetes, will be aboard the bus to share his diabetes story and give away signed copies of his new cookbook, "The Sweet Life: Diabetes Without Boundaries."

Thereafter, the Rite Track Diabetes Tour will make more than 30 stops at Rite Aid pharmacies in Boston; Buffalo, N.Y.; Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pa.; Norfolk, Va.; and Washington, D.C. The tour stop schedule is posted online at onetouch.com/RiteTrackTour.

At all tour stops, people can step into the bus for a free blood glucose test to help identify their risk for developing diabetes or an A1c test, which shows a person living with diabetes their average blood glucose over the past three months. They can also speak with a Rite Aid pharmacist about their test results and learn more about how Rite Aid can help them manage their diabetes. There also will be free educational materials plus product samples and special offers. Flu shots, too, will be available at each Rite Aid pharmacy.

"The Rite Track Diabetes Tour is a great way for us to offer additional support to people with diabetes, whether they've been living with diabetes for years or have just recently been diagnosed," Robert Thompson, executive vice president of pharmacy at Rite Aid, said in a statement. "We want them to know they aren't alone and that their Rite Aid pharmacists can help them successfully manage and live well with diabetes."

In addition, the Rite Aid Foundation is making a $2,500 donation to the local chapter of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) serving the cities visited by the Rite Track Diabetes Tour, totaling $20,000. The drug store chain is a national sponsor of the ADA.

The Rite Track Diabetes Tour expands on Rite Aid's ongoing efforts to address the diabetes epidemic. Last month, the pharmacy chain launched wellness+ for diabetes, a free program that offers exclusive resources and savings to people with diabetes and their caregivers.